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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29189013">Roommates for Flavour</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/clipsievanillasky/pseuds/clipsievanillasky'>clipsievanillasky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Snow Man (Japan Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Roommates, Slow Burn, iyashikei-ish, kind of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:25:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29189013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/clipsievanillasky/pseuds/clipsievanillasky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Miyadate decides to get a roommate, he just can't help falling in love with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Miyadate Ryota/Mukai Kouji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Roommates for Flavour</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I have been informed this is very iyashikei by my beta, who I am so glad they beta'd. Thank you, my wonderful beta, you save me from myself. Please enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miyadate Ryota sighed as he looked at the applications in front of him. Three people had applied to be his roommate. All of them were a little, how should he say it? Odd.</p><p>The first applicant, Meguro Ren, was a junior model looking to move out of his parent's home. He was handsome, Miyadate had given him that, but he wasn't sure if he was the right fit.</p><p>The second applicant, Morimoto Shintaro, was a surfer like him. He was hoping to move to enter the music industry. Miyadate was a bit worried about this.</p><p>Lastly, the third applicant, Mukai Koji, was a photographer who was planning on moving from the Kansai region. He also wasn't sure about him.</p><p>"Just pick the photographer," Watanabe, his long time friend who was sitting across from him, said.</p><p>Miyadate's head snapped up to look at him, "Why?"</p><p>Watanabe shook his head as he reached for the application to look at it, "He seemed nice over the Zoom call and is really the most in need for a place."</p><p>Watanabe had a point, Miyadate supposed. He was travelling further for work purposes. The guy had also made a point to say he could cook in his interview, not that Miyadate was worried about that.</p><p>"I suppose you're right," Miyadate nodded, "I'll give him a call."</p><p>And that's how Miyadate ended up with a roommate that made him unsure if he'd made the right choice or not.</p><p>Mukai moved in a month later.</p><p>~~~</p><p>The first few weeks were relatively normal. Miyadate found Mukai to be a fairly considerate roommate and quieter than he expected. He didn't even question High Heel, the stuffed white tiger, when he saw her, simply saying it was cute. He even made delicious takoyaki for Miyadate his first week, saying it was a thank you for accepting his application.</p><p>It wasn't until the fourth week Mukai asked to invite a guest over.</p><p>"Hey, Miyadate-san," Mukai began from the table, "would it be okay with you if I invited my Terunii over for dinner?"</p><p>Miyadate looked over from the sofa where he was watching television. He racked his brain for a moment, trying to remember who Terunii was, eventually coming to the conclusion he was the one that showed Mukai the posting. "Sure," he replied.</p><p>"Ahh, really?" Mukai looked surprised.</p><p>"It's fine," Miyadate nodded, "do you need any help getting anything ready?"</p><p>Mukai shook his head, "Thank you! And no, Terunii is bringing food over."</p><p>Miyadate let out a small hmm as he turned back to the television. He wasn't sure what was even happening on the program anymore. </p><p>It was an hour and a half when the bell rang and Mukai clambered to answer it. Miyadate had decided to greet this Terunii and then head to his room to read. Give them some space. He stood up from the sofa when he heard them speaking.</p><p>"Terunii, come in! Come in!" Mukai exclaimed.</p><p>"Hey Koji," the newcomer said, "I hope Date-sama is treating you well."</p><p>When Miyadate heard the reply he paused for a moment before quickly shifting his attention towards the door. Standing in the entryway was his friend, Iwamoto Hikaru.</p><p>"Terunii?" Miyadate muttered to himself as he watched Mukai bring the bags to the table and Iwamoto toe off his shoes.</p><p>"Date-sama? Who's Date-sama?" Mukai asked Iwamoto.</p><p>"Your roommate, of course." Iwamoto said as he walked up to the table, "I brought Italian. I hope that's okay, Date-sama?"</p><p>Mukai was glancing between the two, a surprised look on his face, "Eh! You two know each other!?" he exclaimed.</p><p>Iwamoto laughed.</p><p>"Wait, I should be the one asking that," Miyadate said as he walked towards the table. "Also, Iwamoto-kun, it's been a while. Nice to see you."</p><p>Iwamoto smiled and nodded, "Yes it has! Are you going to join us?" Both of them glanced at a stunned Mukai.</p><p>"You said you brought Italian?" Miyadate asked as he sat at the table.</p><p>"I did!" Iwamoto exclaimed as he began taking the containers out of the bag. </p><p>They existed in silence for a few more moments before Mukai let out another loud, "Ehhh!?"</p><p>Miyadate shook his head, "Koji-kun, you've been calling him 'Terunii' the entire time. How was I supposed to know you meant Iwamoto."</p><p>Iwamoto laughed, "Koji… Did you seriously never mention my name?"</p><p>"I guess not. Huh." Mukai replied, still a little stunned.</p><p>Iwamoto admonished Mukai while passing him some pasta while Miyadate smiled at that. This was the most relaxed his new roommate had been since he got here. He wasn't a bad roommate, but watching the two of them, he hoped he'd get to see more of the relaxed Mukai around the place. He liked him like that.</p><p>It was a few more moments when it dawned on Miyadate to ask, "Wait, does Nabe know you know each other?"</p><p>"Nabe?" Koji asked.</p><p>Iwamoto stopped to ponder for a moment before replying, "You know, thinking about it," he grinned sheepishly, "I never mentioned knowing Koji to Nabe, either."</p><p>Miyadate laughed, "He's the one that told me to pick Koji."</p><p>Iwamoto laughed, "No kidding, huh?"</p><p>Miyadate was about to respond when Mukai interjected, "Wait, who's Nabe, again?"</p><p>"An old friend of ours," Iwamoto interjected, "though I guess really old friend in Date-san's case here."</p><p>Miyadate nodded, "He helped me pick from the applicants. He actually convinced me to pick you."</p><p>Mukai's face switched to shock, "You mean you didn't pick me yourself?" Miyadate shook his head as Mukai switched to looking scandalized. "I'm hurt, Miyadate-san. Hey, can I just call you Date-san?"</p><p>"You can. I'm glad you came and hope you can be your relaxed self here." Miyadate said seriously.</p><p>"Okay, okay. I understand." Mukai said with a serious nod, "I'll do my best!"</p><p>Miyadate smiled and was about to reply before Iwamoto said, "I hate to interrupt but the pasta is going to go cold if we don't eat."</p><p>"Terunii!" Mukai exclaimed, "You are absolutely right. We should dig in." He glanced back at Miyadate who gave a small nod.</p><p>As they ate, casual conversation continued. They played catch-up, discussing each other's various works they were currently doing. It's how Miyadate found out Mukai had planned on releasing a photobook but was looking for a model, although he didn't need them to be a professional model.</p><p>“Oh! I’ve been meaning to ask, Date-san,” Mukai said, “What do you do for a living?”</p><p> Iwamoto looked at Mukai incredulously. “Huh!? You’ve been here a month and you don’t know?”</p><p>“I guess I should have, huh?” Mukai said with a laugh.</p><p>“I’m a bartender.” Miyadate said. </p><p>Mukai hit his open palm with his fist as he pointed at Miyadate, “So that’s why you go out later in the day! Huh, I thought you were a host or something.”</p><p>Iwamoto shook his head as Miyadate laughed at his reaction, “Nope, just a simple bartender.”</p><p>Mukai leaned back in his chair, “Still a little shocked you aren’t a host with that aura and everything.”</p><p>Miyadate could only chuckle at that reaction.</p><p>Iwamoto stayed over for another few hours. They watched television and chatted about essentially nothing but Miyadate couldn’t help but think of how nice it was. Day by day he was more and more glad Mukai became his roommate.</p><p>~~~</p><p>A few days later, while Mukai was out scouting a photography location, Watanabe showed up to visit. He was curious as to how the roommate situation was working out. It also happened to be the day Miyadate had planned on making dinner for Mukai. It was a recipe Mukai had gotten from his mom. Watanabe had decided to help out in the kitchen.</p><p>“So, he’s a good roommate?” Watanabe asked as he leaned against the counter waiting for instruction.</p><p>Miyadate nodded, “He is. He knows Iwamoto-kun.”</p><p>“Wait, what?” Watanabe was shocked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Miyadate chuckled as he cut up an onion, “You know the Terunii he referred to in his interview? That’s Iwamoto-kun.”</p><p>“Man,” Watanabe shook his head, “what a small world.”</p><p>“Indeed.” Miyadate focused for a few moments on the recipe, “Hey, can you cut up that pepper for me?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>They worked in relative silence, sometimes having small discussions about what they’ve been up to. Watanabe had been going through an esthetician course to learn more about skin care and get a job in the field. Eventually Mukai returned from his location scouting while speaking on the phone in Thai. Miyadate noted that briefly.</p><p>“He speaks Thai?” Watanabe asked Miyadate.</p><p>Miyadate looked over at Mukai and then back at Watanabe, “He does when he’s on the phone with his mother.”</p><p>“Ahhh,” Watanabe nodded.</p><p>It was then that Mukai looked up at the two of them and smiled. He said a few more words into the phone and ended his call with “I love you, too.” before hanging up. Miyadate smiled at that. He’d had a chance to talk to Mukai’s mother over the phone once. She was sweet and it was sweet how much Mukai loved her.</p><p>“I’m home,” Mukai said as he walked into the kitchen area.</p><p>“Welcome home, Koji-kun.” Miyadate said, still 9smiling, as he watched the stove.</p><p>Mukai smiled and turned to Watanabe, “And who are you?”</p><p>“Oh! Hi, I’m Watanabe Shota," he replied.</p><p>"Ah, Watanabe-san. Wait, huh?" the gears in Mukai's head began turning, "Watanabe… Nabe…" He looked at Miyadate while pointing at Watanabe, "Nabe?"</p><p>Miyadate smiled as he stirred the contents of the pan, "Yes, that Nabe."</p><p>"Oh-ho~! Nabe-san! Nice to meet you!" Mukai held out his hand towards Watanabe, who took it apprehensively to only find his hand being shaken vigorously, "Thank you, Nabe-san! I appreciate it a lot!"</p><p>Watanabe stared at Mukai before glancing at Miyadate who was chuckling, "Uh, you're welcome?"</p><p>Mukai nodded and clapped Watanabe on the shoulder, "You're a good guy, Nabe-san." Mukai then let go of his hand and turned to Miyadate to investigate what was being cooked and snapped a photo of the chef at work.</p><p>"What?" Watanabe stared at Mukai as he walked away.</p><p>"Oh! Right! Mukai Koji, pleased to meet you!" Mukai turned and gave a small gesture at that before referring back to Miyadate, "Date-san, it smells good!"</p><p>Miyadate gave a small chuckle, "Could you get the plates ready?"</p><p>"Oh, sure!" Mukai moved away to grab them, "I assume Nabe-san is joining us?"</p><p>"He is," Miyadate replied as he moved to grab the serving plate. Watanabe, still apparently a little confused, Miyadate addressed him, "Why don't you go sit down. We've got this."</p><p>"Uh, sure," he said, going to sit down at the table. </p><p>Within a few minutes Miyadate and Mukai had joined him with the meal. They portioned it out and gave their thanks before beginning to dig in. Well, they would have but Miyadate didn't move to begin to eat, instead he gestured to Mukai.</p><p>"You go first, I want to know if I made it right," he said.</p><p>"Huh? Okay," Mukai said. He eyed it up a little before taking a bite and chewing contemplatively. Miyadate waited expectantly while Watanabe just looked between the two, somewhat baffled.</p><p>It was a few more moments before Mukai spoke, "Mama." He said as he placed his hand on Miyadate's shoulder. Miyadate looked at him with confusion and then relief when Mukai nodded at him. "It's perfect, tastes perfect."</p><p>Miyadate was extremely proud of himself. "I'm glad you like it," he said. He knew he'd have to file this recipe away for another day.</p><p>"I love it," Mukai said, "Both of you, dig in."</p><p>Miyadate took a few bites. It was delicious and he swelled even more with pride. Not only had he made delicious food but he had done a good enough job to please his roommate. He wasn't sure why that meant a lot to him, but it did.</p><p>"Delicious!" Watanabe exclaimed when he took a bite. Miyadate was even more pleased.</p><p>They ate in silence for a few more moments before Miyadate started speaking, "Koji-kun, how did location scouting go?" he asked.</p><p>"Ahh, I found the perfect location but now I just need a model." Mukai said as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.</p><p>Miyadate nodded, "I hope you find someone soon."</p><p>"Wait, Date-san, wasn't one of the applicants for the place a model?" Watanabe cut in.</p><p>"Oh, he was, wasn't he. I wonder if it would be weird for Koji-kun to give him a call…" Miyadate thought out loud.</p><p>"Date-san! You've been holding out on me!" Mukai joked, "was he at least handsome?"</p><p>"He was. I'll see if he'd be interested."</p><p>"Thank you! I appreciate it!" Mukai said.</p><p>Watanabe thought for a moment before he said, "That might be weird."</p><p>"You might be right," Miyadate agreed.</p><p>"Ahh, and I thought I might have made progress," Mukai pouted.</p><p>Watanabe just shook his head, although Miyadate's response caused him to raise his eyebrow.</p><p>"It's okay, Koji-kun. You'll figure something out," he said.</p><p>"You really think so?" Mukai asked.</p><p>"I do," he said with a smile.</p><p>Watanabe just shook his head at the two of them.</p><p>When they finished their meal, Mukai got up and headed back towards the door.</p><p>"It's a nice night out. I'm going to take some night shots in the neighbourhood. It was nice to meet you, Shoppi, I hope we can hang out again!" He said to the two of them.</p><p>"Ah, nice to meet you, too!" Watanabe said before the nickname caught up to him. "Wait, Shop-" The door closed behind Mukai before he could finish his protest.</p><p>Miyadate laughed at his friend. He noticed what Mukai had said immediately but felt bad for his friend. </p><p>"He called me Shoppi," Watanabe said pointedly.</p><p>"He did." Laughter could still be heard in Miyadate's voice.</p><p>"I'm going to have to talk to him about that…"</p><p>Miyadate shook his head at his friend, "Good luck."</p><p>"He's nice, though. Good for you." Watanabe said.</p><p>Miyadate was confused by this comment, "What do you mean by that?"</p><p>Watanabe shrugged, "You're just a little different, softer I'd say, around him."</p><p>"Softer…" Miyadate repeated. He liked his roommate. He liked having Mukai around. He was fun and he made him laugh, but it had barely been any time. Was there even that much of a change already? His mind was racing just from those few words.</p><p>"Anyway, I have class in the morning. I should head out." Watanabe said as he stood up, "I'll stop by again soon."</p><p>Miyadate nodded to his friend and stood up as well, walking him to the door. "Thank you for coming over," he said.</p><p>"No, thank you for the meal," Watanabe said as he started putting his shoes on. </p><p>After a few more words of goodbye were exchanged, Watanabe left while Miyadate turned to clean up the remainder of dinner.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Over the next few weeks, Iwamoto and Watanabe stopped by at various times to hang out with them. Sometimes they would bring along other friends such as Fukazawa and Sakuma, and Miyadate was pleased that Mukai got along with everyone to the point they’d come over when he, himself, wasn’t there.</p><p>Whether they stopped by for dinner, games, or to even watch a movie one thing Miyadate did notice was Mukai's habit of clinging to his friends. He thought it was sweet, though occasionally he did wonder why Mukai never really did it with him. He never did ask, though.</p><p>~~~</p><p>It was a few months in when Mukai came to Miyadate deciding he wanted to watch a horror movie together. Miyadate was concerned to say the least. Mukai had made it pretty apparent in conversations when Iwamoto was around that he didn’t like horror all that much. Hell, Miyadate had accidentally scared Mukai on multiple occasions just from silently appearing in the same room as him. Nevertheless, he decided to ask about it.</p><p>“Are you sure?” Miyadate said.</p><p>“I am! There are two movies, they came recommended.” Mukai said, though to Miyadate he didn’t look sure.</p><p>Miyadate sighed, he really couldn’t say no to Mukai even if he thought it was probably for the best if they didn’t. "Koji, if you get scared, know that I'll protect you."</p><p>"Date-san…" Mukai whispered, "Thank you."</p><p>"I know you don't really like horror," Miyadate said.</p><p>"I don't but I do want to watch these."</p><p>Miyadate considered this and then gave a small nod, "Then we shall."</p><p>It turned out the movies in question were the IT movies. Miyadate didn't question this selection and was just glad they weren't the scariest movies in the world, though he still wasn't sure how Mukai would handle them.</p><p>After getting snacks together they settled on the end of the couch each and began to watch the first movie. </p><p>It didn't take long for Mukai to curl into himself and slowly but surely he inched closer and closer to Miyadate during the movie. By the end of it he was clinging to his arm, snacks long forgotten.</p><p>"Koji," Miyadate said with a slight chuckle, "we can skip the next one if you'd like."</p><p>Mukai looked up at him with a somewhat relieved look, and yet what he said next surprised Miyadate the most, "No, let's finish it."</p><p>"Okay," was Miyadate's only response before he got the second one set-up and played it.</p><p>It was during the second movie where Miyadate remembered what Watanabe had said to him the first day he had come over after Mukai had moved in. He could admit he probably was softer around Mukai. Glancing down, he saw him intensely focused on the movie despite clinging to Miyadate. He realized he probably would never have let his other friends do this.</p><p>In response to all of this, an uncertain emotion bubbled up in Miyadate's chest. A nervousness he wasn't sure how to process, but he could also admit this closeness felt nice, real nice. Miyadate hoped this could be a more regular occurrence.</p><p>By the end of the movie Miyadate only vaguely knew what had happened but Mukai was clearly a lot calmer than during the first movie if the grip on him was anything to go by.</p><p>"That wasn't nearly as scary," he said looking up at Miyadate.</p><p>"No, it really wasn't," Miyadate said as he looked back. He wasn't about to tell Mukai to let go, although looking at him in the face made his heart race unexpectedly. He hoped Mukai wouldn't notice as he worked to keep his face steady.</p><p>Mukai rested his chin on Miyadate's arm, "Thank you for watching with me. I don't know why they wanted me to watch them. The ending was really sad, though, hey?"</p><p>Miyadate smiled softly, "It really was. Hey, Koji?"</p><p>Mukai hummed in response.</p><p>"I'll watch movies with you anytime."</p><p>"Really?" Mukai asked.</p><p>"Yes," Miyadate said with a more serious look.</p><p>"Thank you!" Mukai exclaimed. "You can pick the movie next time."</p><p>"I have the perfect movie in mind already."</p><p>Mukai backed off a little to look Miyadate in the face better. To say it made Miyadate a little sad would be the horrible truth. " Oh? What is it?" Mukai asked.</p><p>"It's a surprise, though it is one of my favourites."</p><p>"Oh ho ho. I can't wait to find out. I want to know what Date-san likes." Mukai said with a smile.</p><p>Miyadate looked away quickly before looking back at Mukai and saying, "Another night. It's getting late." He stood up and stretched as he made his way to his room, "Good night, Koji."</p><p>"Good night, Date-san," Mukai responded with a little wave.</p><p>As soon as Miyadate entered his room he sat down and put his head in his hands. He was fucked. There was no coming back from having feelings for your roommate, was there?</p><p>He sat for a few more moments before getting ready for bed.</p><p>By the time he was ready and in bed he could tell Mukai had gone to bed as well. Double checking his phone was plugged in he settled in for a long night of thinking. He knew Mukai was affectionate. He was all the time with their friends, he would hang all over Watanabe when he would actually let him. Fukazawa, Sakuma, and Iwamoto barely seemed to notice it half the time.</p><p>Their friends. That was the other thing. Mukai had so seamlessly integrated himself into the group. Miyadate had never expected it when he had selected Mukai as his roommate but he was glad. It meant they could easily spend more time together.</p><p>After about an hour of being lost in his thoughts, Miyadate was snapped out of it by a knock at his room door.</p><p>"Date-san?" came Mukai's muffled voice.</p><p>"Yes? Come in " Miyadate responded.</p><p>"Can I- Oh!" Mukai suddenly realized what Miyadate had said and opened the door, "Sorry to bother you but I can't sleep."</p><p>Miyadate gave a hum to continue.</p><p>Mukai let out a tiny bark of a laugh before he continued, "I think the movie got to me a little more than I thought and I don't want to be alone. Can I hang out here for a little until I calm down?" he asked.</p><p>"Sure," Miyadate responded before shifting over to make room for Mukai. He lifted the edge of his cover and invited him in.</p><p>"Really?" Mukai said as he climbed in next to Miyadate.</p><p>Miyadate was amused by the fact he questioned it as he climbed in and let out a small chuckle, "You may as well let me help you stay warm."</p><p>"Ah, thank you." Mukai said as he settled in. He turned to look at Miyadate, "I appreciate this a lot."</p><p>"It's no problem," Miyadate shrugged.</p><p>"And sorry for clinging onto you during the movie," Mukai added.</p><p>Miyadate turned to look at him and smiled, "That was fine, it helped you."</p><p>"That's good to know. I just wasn't sure how okay with that you were. I try to read the room." He shifted onto his side to fully look at Miyadate and yawned.</p><p>Miyadate looked away for a moment, "It's okay."</p><p>The only response he got was a non-committal hum.</p><p>"Hey, Koji," he began before glancing back to find Mukai fast asleep. Before finishing he let out a bit of a huff, "Thank you for becoming my roommate."</p><p>The only response he got was Mukai settling into the bed a bit more. It wasn't long until Miyadate was also asleep.</p><p>When Miyadate woke up, he found himself and Mukai cuddled closer, his arms loosely wrapped around the other man and their feet tangled. Definitely not how they had fallen asleep.</p><p>Miyadate shifted to move them apart. It wasn't that he was unnecessarily uncomfortable, in fact his heart was racing a bit, he was more worried about how Mukai would react given his comment about reading the room. </p><p>Before he could completely untangle them, Mukai let out a small whine and mumbled in his sleep. It is safe to say Miyadate didn't expect the word to be "Ryota." He froze and looked at the sleeping man. He supposed it was warm and it was far too early to get up anyway.</p><p>He settled back to sleep and when he woke up again, Mukai was gone.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Over the next few days Mukai was skittish around Miyadate. He didn't snub him by any means, they still spoke regularly, but he definitely reduced the physical contact he would give Miyadate.</p><p>Miyadate wished he didn't notice. Before he barely noticed the contact such as Mukai slinging his arm around his shoulders when he was close enough when they spoke or a hand on the knee when telling Miyadate about something funny. Small touches that were normal for Mukai. Small touches Miyadate now missed, but he had no idea how to bring it up.</p><p>On the fifth day after they shared a bed they had an unexpected visitor. An old friend of Miyadate's had come over with Sakuma. Abe Ryohei.</p><p>Abe had been away for school over the past year doing his PhD and had returned just a week prior. Sakuma had found out and insisted he had to meet Miyadate's new roommate and had said he was the last of them to do so. Mukai had been intrigued by the newcomer.</p><p>"So, what do you do for school?" Mukai asked when they had gotten through introductions.</p><p>"I went for science and technology." Abe answered.</p><p>Mukai crossed his arms and nodded, "Ahhh, a smart man. You have good friends, Date-san."</p><p>Miyadate shook his head, "They're your friends, too."</p><p>"Yeah!" Sakuma chimed in, "They're your friends, too! Wait…"</p><p>Miyadate and Abe laughed at that while Mukai's eyes lit up, "Really?" he gasped, "You're my friends?"</p><p>Sakuma rapidly stood up and enthusiastically made finger guns at Mukai, "Yeah!"</p><p>Mukai made the finger guns back with a grin before having a thought, "Oh!" he yelled, "Abe-chan!"</p><p>Abe startled slightly but was still grinning, "Yes?"</p><p>"Will you model for me?"</p><p>"Hah?" Abe was confused by the question.</p><p>Before Mukai could explain, Sakuma cut in, "Oh! Koji's a photographer! He takes really good photos."</p><p>"Now, now, Sakuma-kun," Mukai said with a slightly cocky look on his face, "Thank you. But really, would you model for me, Abe-chan?"</p><p>Abe gave him a suspicious look. "What kind of modelling?" he asked </p><p>"Nothing suspicious. Everyday type photos. You can even wear your own clothes!" Mukai explained.</p><p>"But why me?" Abe began, "Why not Hikaru-san or Date-san? Hell, I can give you the phone number of a model."</p><p>Mukai shrugged, "You just feel right."</p><p>Miyadate closed his eyes for a moment, "You're the first person he's asked." he said.</p><p>"Huh? Me?" Abe pointed at his face when he asked.</p><p>"Abe-chan, you should go for it," Sakuma encouraged, "It'll probably be fun."</p><p>"Please, Abe-chan?" Mukai clasped his hands together.</p><p>Abe considered it for a bit longer and glanced at Miyadate, finding his expression unreadable, "Fine. I'll do it." he said.</p><p>Mukai and Sakuma both let out a 'Yay' at the same time, beginning a round of high fives. Miyadate did join in on the celebrations despite the weird feelings of apprehension he had.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Mukai started his photography sessions a week after he had met Abe, which also meant Miyadate was home alone a lot more since Mukai had his shoots with Abe on top of any of his paid work. By the tenth time he was wondering how to fill the silence.</p><p>It was strange because Miyadate missed the chaos his roommate brought when he wasn't working. Mukai had even started approaching him more again. </p><p>Sighing, Miyadate surveyed the apartment. Everything was in order and he wasn't sure what to do. He was to the point of asking himself if Mukai would be hungry when he got home, so he started to prepare ingredients for onigiri.</p><p>It was after he had made five that he heard a commotion outside the door. At the least he expected Abe to be with him. The two were extremely noisy when they got together. What he wasn't expecting were the two tall youths accompanying him, one of which he recognized as Meguro Ren.</p><p>"I'm home," Mukai said, to which Miyadate gave a quick response, "And I've brought some people."</p><p>"Sorry for the intrusion, Date-san," Abe said. "This is a student I tutor, Raul, and an old student of mine when I was a teaching assistant, Meguro Ren."</p><p>"Nice to meet you," Miyadate said.</p><p>Raul and Meguro exchanged their greetings with Miyadate before they got herded to the table by Mukai and Abe. Once they were seated, Mukai returned to where Miyadate was making onigiri.</p><p>"You're making onigiri?" Mukai asked as he snapped a few photos.</p><p>"I am," Miyadate said as he formed another one, "do you want to take this to the table so they can have some?" Miyadate was glad he had set aside one of the onigiri before. That one was specifically for Mukai and he would give it to him later.</p><p>"You're sure?" Mukai asked.</p><p>"Koji, we have guests. It would be rude to not feed them. I'll join you guys when I finish making this one." </p><p>"Thank you for the snacks," Mukai said as he grabbed a serving tray to put them on. When he got over to the table he said, "Courtesy of Date-sama! Voilà!"</p><p>Abe was the first to react and looked over to exclaim, "Date-san, Thank you!" Raul and Meguro also joined in.</p><p>"It's no problem at all," he said as he walked over to the table, "enjoy."</p><p>As they all began to dig in, Miyadate watched them. Meguro and Raul seemed to really enjoy the onigiri. Mukai and Abe as well, though in Miyadate's mind it was a little overshadowed by just how close the two of them were sitting. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, the two of them clearly got along great but he couldn't help what the heart felt.</p><p>When Mukai slung his arm around Abe's shoulders, Miyadate took an angry bite of his own onigiri. He knew it likely didn't show on his face, but he also noticed Raul give him a look. What the look was, Miyadate wasn't sure.</p><p>Eventually everyone fell into casual conversation and the situation where Miyadate didn't choose Meguro was brought up.</p><p>"Sorry about declining your application," Miyadate said.</p><p>"It's okay," Meguro replied, "I ended up finding a better place closer to my work with the help of Abe-chan."</p><p>"I had another friend that was looking for a roommate," Abe included.</p><p>"I'm glad it worked out, then." Miyadate said.</p><p>"Wait…" Mukai took a moment, "Meme is the model you mentioned applied?"</p><p>"He is," Miyadate said at the same time Meguro said, "I am."</p><p>"Huh, funny how that works out," Mukai said.</p><p>"Small world," Raul piped in, "especially given that I know Meme through his brother."</p><p>"Wait, what?" Abe said with a laugh.</p><p>"We go to school together. Didn't I ment-" he cut himself off when Abe and Meguro shook their heads, "Oh no! I'm so sorry for not mentioning this earlier, Abe-chan."</p><p>"To be fair, I didn't mention it either." Meguro added.</p><p>"Small world indeed," Miyadate said, "so were you two helping with the photoshoot?"</p><p>"Yeah, I needed a few extras so Abe-chan called them in," Mukai explained, "We also tried to call in Fukka, but he was busy."</p><p>"Ahh," Miyadate said. He was a little sad he wasn't getting called but he didn't want to admit it. It seemed like they were having a lot of fun.</p><p>"I have no idea what Fukka was up to, either. He said he'd be home today." Abe said.</p><p>"Maybe he went to visit someone?" Mukai suggested.</p><p>"He could have gone to his grandparents?" Miyadate added.</p><p>"Maybe. I'll talk to him later." </p><p>They discussed the day's photoshoot for a little while more before the three visitors took off. Miyadate found it interesting to hear what all they had been up to. It seems they had taken photos at a park today with the three of them. Mukai even showed Miyadate some pictures.</p><p>Once the door clicked shut, Miyadate looked at Mukai.</p><p>"I have something for you," he said, heading back into the kitchen.</p><p>"For me?" Mukai asks, following him to the kitchen, "I'm so curious!"</p><p>Miyadate reaches into the cupboard where he stored the onigiri, pulling out a bundle of cloth. Turning, he handed it to Mukai who was standing surprisingly close to him, "Here you go."</p><p>Mukai took it and bounced it in his hand for a moment, "It's heavy. Wait!" he handed it back to Miyadate and went for his camera, "I want to take a picture of you with it."</p><p>"Koji..." Miyadate said as Mukai came back with the camera, "What do you need me to do?"</p><p>"Just hold it and present it to me. I really appreciate it." Mukai started to take pictures of Miyadate with the bundle, "Ah, can you give me a big smile? You have a really lovely smile."</p><p>Miyadate couldn't help but blush a little at that and wound up giving him more of a bashful smile.</p><p>"Very nice," Mukai said as he stopped taking photos and stared at Miyadate a few moments, "Thank you for indulging me."</p><p>"Uh… Anytime!" Miyadate said, holding the bundle out to Mukai, "Please, take it."</p><p>"Thank you again, Date-san," Mukai said as he took it from him. He walked over to the table and unwrapped the bundle to show the onigiri inside. "Oh, it's so big!"</p><p>Miyadate watched as Mukai held it up and looked it over. He held it to his hand to compare, his heart beating a little fast.</p><p>"I made this one specifically for you," Miyadate said.</p><p>Mukai looked over at him, his eyes alight, "Thank you, what kind is it?"</p><p>Miyadate shrugged, "You'll have to eat it to find out."</p><p>"You raise a good point, Date-san!" Mukai said. He unwrapped the onigiri fully and took the smallest bite possible.</p><p>"Koji," Miyadate said with a laugh.</p><p>"What if I want to savour it?" he asked. Miyadate could only grin. He then took a massive bite.</p><p>"Ah, what's this?" Mukai said looking at the inside of the onigiri, "Is this takoyaki?" He took another bite. "It is!"</p><p>"I hope you like it," Miyadate said in response.</p><p>"Date-san, I love it. Thank you so much!" Mukai continued to eat away at it.</p><p>"Oh good! I'm glad you like it."</p><p>"Mmmf," Mukai said with a mouth full of food. "It's so good. Thank you, Date-san."</p><p>Mukai quickly finished off the rest of the onigiri before moving towards the kitchen, "Now, Date-san, if you'll please head out. It is my turn to cook for you!"</p><p>"Koji, you don-" Miyadate began before he was shussed by Mukai's fingers touching his lips.</p><p>"It's my turn to make dinner and I want to do it. Now, shoo."</p><p>Miyadate obliged and turned away. When his back was turned he reached up to touch his lips. Feeling a little dizzy from his heart racing, he went to lie down on the couch while Mukai cooked them dinner.</p><p>It turned out Miyadate fell asleep on the couch while Mukai was cooking. The next thing he knew, he was being awoken by something, or someone, touching his face. As he groggily opened his eyes he was greeted by Mukai directly in his field of vision.</p><p>"Uwah!" he said, barely jumping before he gave it a beat, "You surprised me."</p><p>"Sorry about that," Mukai laughed, not really moving away, "dinner is ready."</p><p>"What did you make?" Miyadate asked.</p><p>"Udon," Mukai said with a smile while Miyadate's heart skipped a beat as he still didn't move away.</p><p>"Sounds good," Miyadate said, "Hey, Koj-" He stopped talking and let it die on his lips as Mukai moved towards the table. Miyadate watched him go before forcing himself to get up and move to the table to eat supper.</p><p>They ate in a comfortable silence, occasionally interjecting about something they saw or heard about that day. Mukai's udon was really good and Miyadate wanted to savour it.</p><p>"Hey, Date-san?" Mukai eventually asked.</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Do you want to watch a movie tomorrow night?" Mukai was staring at Miyadate with a hopeful gaze when he asked.</p><p>If it had been any other night, Miyadate might have said yes. Unfortunately for him, he was unavailable. "I wish I could but I work tomorrow evening."</p><p>"Oh…" Mukai said sadly.</p><p>"What about three nights from now? I work the next two."</p><p>Mukai shook his head, "No, my friend Ryuta is in town so I was going to meet up with him." </p><p>Miyadate frowned, "We could always watch something tonight?"</p><p>This made Mukai smile again, and for that Miyadate was thankful. "I'd like that," he said.</p><p>The rest of meal time and clean-up was spent deciding what movie to watch. In the end they decided on Tenchi Meisatsu.</p><p>Early into the watch, Mukai decided to rest his head on Miyadate's lap and he laid on the couch.</p><p>"Is this okay?" he asked, glancing up at Miyadate.</p><p>In return, Miyadate gave him a soft smile, "It's fine."</p><p>Mukai grinned at him before returning his attention to the movie. He made no complaints when Miyadate ended up playing with his hair.</p><p>It was a shame, though, that neither of them made it to the end of the film. Both of them fell asleep.</p><p>When Miyadate woke up it was to his hand buried in Mukai's hair and Mukai's arms wrapped around his one leg as he softly snored. Miyadate smiled.</p><p>~~~</p><p>The next two nights, as Miyadate was working, saw Mukai spending his evenings with Fukazawa, Watanabe, and Abe. The three of them usually picked Mukai up right around the time Miyadate left for his shift. This is why Miyadate was surprised when Watanabe and Fukazawa stopped by on his night off, well after when Mukai had left to meet his friend.</p><p>"Special delivery!" Fukazawa said, holding up a bag of take-out when Miyadate answered the door.</p><p>Miyadate was confused. "What?" he said.</p><p>"We brought you dinner," Fukazawa replied.</p><p>"Okay, well, come in?" Miyadate said as he moved to let them in. The two of them took off their shoes at the entrance and bee-lined it to the table.</p><p>As they settled in to eat their dinner, Fukazawa stared at Miyadate intensely. Almost scrutinizing him, Miyadate thought.</p><p>Setting down his chopsticks he sighed and said, "Okay, what is it?"</p><p>Fukazawa didn't say anything, instead it was Watanabe who began, "We're worried about you."</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"Date-san, you've been different lately. Which, it's not like you'd tell me your problems anyway, but we've noticed." Watanabe said.</p><p>Fukazawa nodded and added, "Even Raul noticed. He's met you, what? Once?"</p><p>"Raul? You heard about this from Raul? You know Raul?" Miyadate was so confused.</p><p>Fukazawa glanced at Watanabe before shifting sideways and gesturing at Miyadate, "This guy. This guy, huh?"</p><p>Miyadate stared at him while Watanabe put his head in his hands.</p><p>"Of course I know Raul. He would stop by for Abe-chan when he was overseas," Fukazawa elaborated.</p><p>Watanabe narrowed his eyes at Fukazawa and asked, "Why would Raul stop by your place while Abe-chan was away?"</p><p>"Yeah, Fukka-san, why would he?" Miyadate also asked.</p><p>Fukazawa looked away, suddenly finding the wall interesting. "No reason, he was just delivering stuff," he said.</p><p>"Why did you get stuff and we di-" Watanabe trailed off before looking at Fukazawa, his hand over his mouth and yelling from surprise, "Eh!? EH!? Don't tell me, you and Abe-chan? EH!"</p><p>Colour rose to Fukazawa's cheeks.</p><p>"Seriously?" Miyadate asked.</p><p>"Now, now, that is neither here nor there. We're here to talk about Date-san and his problem." Fukazawa said as he waved his hand in front of his face.</p><p>"But why?" Watanabe asked.</p><p>Fukazawa could only let out a nervous laugh, "We'll talk about it later." he hissed and gestured towards Miyadate.</p><p>Watanabe glared at Fukazawa before turning his attention back to Miyadate. "So, Date-san," he began, "we're going to need you to tell him. Confess."</p><p>Miyadate's heart pounded. "Tell who what?" he asked.</p><p>"Tell Koji you're in love with him," Watanabe said while Fukazawa gave him a smile.</p><p>"I-" Miyadate stuttered and then laughed, "I'm not in love with Koji."</p><p>"Sure there, bud." Fukka said.</p><p>"You're so soft on the guy," Watanabe said, "and what is there to lose?"</p><p>"You guys, I'm seriously not in love with Koji," Miyadate protested.</p><p>"Date-san," Watanabe said with a frown, "we know. It's okay. Just tell the guy."</p><p>Miyadate was about to protest when Watanabe continued.</p><p>"It's really not like you to be such a coward." he stated.</p><p>"We know about the onigiri, "Fukazawa explained, "and the movie nights."</p><p>"Anyone can have movie nights," Miyadate said.</p><p>"And the jealousy," Fukazawa continued, "and the bed sharing."</p><p>"Bed sharing?" Watanabe asked.</p><p>Fukazawa did a double take at Watanabe before holding out a finger at Miyadate, "One sec, okay?"</p><p>"Of course…" Miyadate said.</p><p>Fukazawa and Watanabe huddled up and began speaking in, if you asked Miyadate, loud whispers.</p><p>"I don't know about bed sharing," Watanabe said.</p><p>Fukazawa thought for a moment, "I could have sworn I told you about that, I heard about it from Abe-chan."</p><p>"Nope."</p><p>"Huh, go figure. Well, they shared a bed and apparently this guy talks in his sleep." Fukazawa gestured to Miyadate, "Kept saying Koji apparently."</p><p>This news shocked Miyadate the most. He hadn't thought of himself the talking in his sleep type but Mukai was and Mukai mumbled his name in his sleepy voice. His ears turned pink just thinking about it.</p><p>Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the other two leave their huddle.</p><p>"What has you all flustered, Date-san?" Fukazawa asked all of the sudden.</p><p>"Uhh," Miyadate was at a loss for words. He crossed his arms and leaned his head back, taking a moment to think. He may as well admit it, he thought. They already had him pegged.</p><p>"He's probably thinking about Koji," Watanabe said. Fukazawa nodded in agreement.</p><p>"I am," Miyadate finally said and looked them dead in the eyes, "because I am in love with him."</p><p>"Ah-ha!" Fukazawa exclaimed before blinking at him, "Wait, you're just going to admit it?"</p><p>"The heart wants what the heart wants," Miyadate said.</p><p>"Well, that was easy," Watanabe said with a smirk.</p><p>"He's just trying to ruin our fun," Fukazawa said.</p><p>"Correct," Miyadate said, "but also, I don't know how fruitful confessing will be."</p><p>"Trust us, it'll be worth it. And, besides," Fukazawa flapped his hand, "Abe-chan agrees. Apparently he talks about you a lot on their shoots."</p><p>Watanabe zeroed in on the mention of Abe, "Abe-chan and you talk, huh?"</p><p>"Not now," Fukazawa said, "Besides, Koji talks to me about you, too. Shoot your shot."</p><p>"Like you did with Abe-chan?" Watanabe asked.</p><p>"Yeah, like with Abe-chan? Miyadate chimed in, happy to shift the attention away from himself.</p><p>"Yes, exactly as I did with Abe-chan. Are you happy, now?" Fukazawa stated.</p><p>Watanabe gave Fukazawa a smug look before raising his eyebrows exaggeratedly, "So, what's Abe-chan like?" he asked.</p><p>"He's fine, caring, gentle, not you." Fukazawa said.</p><p>"Hey!" Watanabe exclaimed. </p><p>Miyadate laughed at this. He knew they weren't going to get much out of Fukazawa and that was okay. It helped, though, realizing Mukai was just being his over affectionate self with Abe because he let him. It was almost reassuring, though he then remembered how affectionate Mukai was with Watanabe. He wasn't even sure where Mukai's feelings landed there. There may have been a pang of jealousy.</p><p>"But seriously, Date-san, talk to Mukai at the very least." Fukazawa suddenly said to him seriously.</p><p>"I will, I will," Miyadate assured him, though he didn't know when that conversation would be.</p><p>"Let me know how it goes," Watanabe added, "and then maybe he'll stop clinging to me."</p><p>"I highly doubt that," Miyadate said.</p><p>Watanabe let out a small grunt of disapproval before changing the subject entirely. Mostly to discuss the sudden disappearance of Iwamoto, although Fukazawa assured him he was fine. Just on a job.</p><p>~~~</p><p>When Mukai got home much later that evening he found Miyadate lying on his back on the floor on his phone. He had been reading at the table and had flopped back to answer some messages.</p><p>"Why are you lying down?" Mukai asked him from above.</p><p>"Why are you standing up?" Miyadate returned.</p><p>Mukai pondered this for a moment before lying down beside Miyadate.</p><p>"Much better," Miyadate said, looking at Mukai. "So, how was dinner?"</p><p>Mukai broke out into a smile and Miyadate's heart sang. "It was great! It was nice seeing Ryuta again and he brought Micchi with him! That was a surprise!"</p><p>"Oh? Micchi's an important person I take it?"</p><p>"Yeah," Mukai said with a soft smile, "he's a good kid. A little too tall these days, though. He's grown like a weed. He's a neighbourhood kid I used to help out a lot."</p><p>"I'm glad you got to see them," Miyadate said.</p><p>"Next time you'll have to come with us," Mukai said.</p><p>"I don't want to intrude," Miyadate looked away as he said it.</p><p>"You wouldn't be, they'd love you!" Mukai said as he gave Miyadate's cheek a poke, "Besides, I'd want you there."</p><p>Miyadate smiled at this and looked back at Mukai. The grin he got back made his heart melt.</p><p>"How were Fukka-san and Shoppi?" Mukai asked.</p><p>"They were good. They really put me on the spot at one point. I found out about Abe-chan and Fukka," Miyadate let out a chuckle at the last bit.</p><p>"Oh, Fukka-san finally let the cat out of the bag? I don't even think he's told Terunii."</p><p>"He's going to be annoyed about that," Miyadate smiled. He knew he'd be happy for him but sad he didn't find out right away.</p><p>"Eh, Fukka-san has his hang-ups. How was Shoppi?"</p><p>Miyadate rolled his eyes a little before looking at the ceiling. He did think it was cute how much Mukai seemed to love Watanabe, even with the pang of jealousy. "He's good. Pestered me a lot to talk about something."</p><p>"Mmm," Mukai said in response. When Miyadate looked back he saw that Mukai was also looking at the ceiling. It was a bit before Mukai began talking again. "So, what were you getting pestered about?"</p><p>"Oh, not much. They figured I like someone, so they were trying to get information."Miyadate said while staring at Mukai.</p><p>"Oh ho ho, you have a crush. Do I know this person?" Mukai asked, still looking at the ceiling.</p><p>"You do," Miyadate said as he thought to himself, <em> it's you! </em> but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.</p><p>"What are they like?" Mukai asked</p><p>"They're kind and very giving," Miyadate began, "despite that, they like to be taken care of and spoiled, and I think it's cute."</p><p>"They sound like a good person," Mukai said. He still hadn't turned to look at Miyadate.</p><p>"They are," Miyadate agreed, not quite able to get out the full confession despite his brain yelling at him. </p><p>Mukai gave out a small hum to that as he got up. "I think it's bedtime for me," he said letting out a small yawn and stretching.</p><p>Miyadate followed him with his eyes, mentally kicking himself. He needed to just get it over with but didn't want to ruin what they have.</p><p>~~~</p><p>It was a few more days before Miyadate decided he did in fact need to get the confession over with. It was also fueled by the endless messages he was getting from the others. Even Sakuma had gotten in on it. How to go about it was the biggest issue. He wanted to be romantic but simple. </p><p>In the end he decided to cook for Mukai, which while not that unusual, it had been a while since he had made chinjao rosu as per Mukai's mother's recipe.</p><p>He picked a day where Mukai would be out all day and he had off of work, waking up that morning to go shopping for fresh ingredients. It wasn't until later in the day he started cooking, knowing about when Mukai would be home.</p><p>Miyadate was lost in his thoughts as he was prepping when Mukai's "I'm home!" broke him out of it. He hadn't even heard the door open.</p><p>"Oh, welcome home," Miyadate responded as he cut a pepper.</p><p>Mukai came into the kitchen area to check out what Miyadate was doing. "Are you making chinjao rosu?" he asked softly.</p><p>"I am," Miyadate said as he moved on to the next step.</p><p>"Date-san…" Mukai whispered, causing Miyadate to look up. Mukai's eyes were alight and it tugged at Miyadate's heart. He knew he had to do this today. Mukai continued by asking, "What's the occasion?"</p><p>Miyadate smiled softly, "I wanted to make it."</p><p>Mukai smiled, "I'll go get cleaned up, then!" he said and headed off.</p><p>"Don't take too long," Miyadate called after him.</p><p>"I won't," Mukai called back.</p><p>Mukai timed coming back out perfectly when dinner was ready and they settled in at the table.</p><p>"Thank you for making this!" Mukai's eyes shone when he eyed the food, "I'd been wanting it, actually."</p><p>"Oh? It's good I made it, then," Miyadate was happy just from the response the meal had gotten, though a nervousness was bubbling up in his stomach.</p><p>After eating in some silence for a bit, Miyadate looked at Mukai, "Koji, there is something I want to tell you."</p><p>"Oh?" Mukai looked at Miyadate a little worried.</p><p>"You know how you asked me about the person I like?" Miyadate began and he immediately saw Mukai's face fall.</p><p>"Oh…" Mukai whispered.</p><p>"Koji, it's not… Koji…" Miyadate paused and gathered his courage while placing his hand on Mukai's, "Koji, it's you."</p><p>"I'm sure you'l-" Mukai began before looking at Miyadate with wide eyes.</p><p>Miyadate schooled his face before stating it more clearly, "Koji, I love you." he said.</p><p>"Me? You were talking about me!?" Mukai said, pointing to himself in disbelief. Miyadate could feel him shaking.</p><p>"I am. I'm sorry if this isn't welcome…" Miyadate started, pulling his hand away.</p><p>Mukai's face softened as he reached out to catch Miyadate's hand and intertwine their fingers, "No, it's very welcome."</p><p>"Are you sure?" Miyadate asked.</p><p>"I am." Mukai said with a smile.</p><p>Miyadate moved over to Mukai and cupped his face. They stared at each other for a moment before Miyadate leaned it to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. When Miyadate pulled away he found Mukai with his eyes closed and mildly stunned. He wasn't ready for Mukai as he sprang forward. Miyadate's back hit the ground and Mukai landed on top, framing him with his hands.</p><p>"I've been wanting to do this," Mukai said as he leaned in to give Miyadate a deep kiss. Miyadate's head spun for a moment before he reciprocated. He was happy.</p><p>When Mukai pulled away for a breather he gazed down at Miyadate with a lazy smile, "So, we should maybe finish dinner? Pick back up on this later?"</p><p>Miyadate laughed and shoved Mukai off of him, "If you think so."</p><p>"Rude," Mukai said with an exaggerated pout before settling back to eat.</p><p>"You're fine. Oh! By the way, do you have any plans tomorrow?" Miyadate asked.</p><p>"Oh?" Mukai raised his eyebrows suggestively, "You want to make plans?"</p><p>"I'm going surfing tomorrow. I was wondering if you'd want to come?" Miyadate hadn't had a chance to go surfing yet this year and he was itching to get out on the water.</p><p>"Make time for me tonight and I'll make time for you tomorrow." Mukai said with a smirk.</p><p>Miyadate sighed. "I've unleashed a monster…" he mumbled.</p><p>Mukai laughed. "I've never gone surfing before, so I'll just watch. Take photos."</p><p>"That's fine," Miyadate said, "we can invite everyone else. Have a beach party."</p><p>"I'd like that!" Mukai said with a smile.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Later that evening, Mukai insisted they take some pictures to celebrate the day and while Miyadate may have rolled his eyes he gave in easily.</p><p>And if a photo, PG of course, made its way to Watanabe that was neither here nor there. </p><p>
  <strong>Epilogue</strong>
</p><p>It had been a year and a bit since Mukai moved in when the photobook proof arrived and Mukai was buzzing. He hadn't let Miyadate look at anything when he was putting it together. Today was the first day he would get to see anything.</p><p>Pulling it out of the envelope, Mukai settled at the table to check it over, Miyadate joining him.</p><p>The cover photo had been taken at the beach the day after they got together and it included everyone, even the photographer. He had MacGyver'd a set-up just for it at sunset.</p><p>The book had a variety of photos from street photography to photography with the group and Miyadate loved it. The very last photo in the afterward was what really got Miyadate, though. It was a photo of the two of them. Mukai had taken it on a lazy Sunday when they were cooking. Happy together.</p>
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